Sanford Wheeler (previously known as Matthew Wheeler) (6 April 1970 – 10 March 2020) was an Australian rules football player for the Sydney Swans. He is notable as being the first African-American born player in the history of the AFL and one of few players from the United States to play in the Australian Football League. Matthew Wheeler migrated with his Australian father and African-American mother to Sydney, New South Wales at the age of 5. As a teenager, he began to take an interest in Australian football and played his junior football for the Parramatta Australian football club.